The peach is a member of the rose family. It was first cultivated in China and revered as a symbol of longevity. In the early 1600s Spanish explorers brought it to the New World and by the 1700s missionaries and established peaches in California.
Nutrition Facts:

• Good source of Vitamin C
• Good source of Dietary Fiber
• 75 calories per cup

Selection, Preparation and Storage:

• Look for ones that are soft to the touch, blemish free, and have a fragrant smell. Choose fruit that has a background color of yellow or cream and has a fresh looking appearance. At home peaches can be ripened at room temperature in a brown paper bag in 2 to 3 days.
• Wash peaches carefully in cool soapy water, then rinse well before eating or using. If used in cooking they peel really fast if blanched in boiling water for a minute then plunged into ice water to cool.
• The best way to ripen stone fruit is to place the fruit in a paper bag, fold the top of the bag over loosely, and place the bag on the counter for one to three days.

Tips:

Add peach slices to your favorite salads, puree and freeze to enjoy on a hot summer day.

Image © 2009 JupiterImages Corporation

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 25th, 2009 at 7:48 am and is filed under Produce Picks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.